


ships in the night

by myurbandream (jen_chan13)



Series: Tumblr Writing Prompts [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, M/M, Slow Build, eventual Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 16:33:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8292526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jen_chan13/pseuds/myurbandream
Summary: tumblr anon asked, "for the fic meme! quiobi and #39, long distance relationship au?"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a writing prompt response on tumblr, which then bounced off a plot bunny I have been contemplating for months. There's more to it, but for this scene all you (hopefully) need is the basic premise: Obi-Wan is chosen as a Padawan at age 11, by a totally different Master, before he ever has a chance to meet Qui-Gon Jinn. They run similar missions, but they’re never officially assigned to a mission together. Somehow, though, they keep coming close - like ships passing in the night.
> 
> This scene occurs when Obi-Wan is about 20 years old, almost a Knight.

_The Twenty-Third Time:_ **  
**

Qui-Gon doesn’t realize how closely he has been scanning the crowded foyer until the newly-crowned young Prince Organa sneaks up on him.

“My apologies, Master Jinn - I didn’t mean to startle you.”  Prince Organa greets him with a short bow, which Qui-Gon returns.

“No apologies are needed; I was lost in thought,” Qui-Gon admits, turning his focus from the mingling guests to the conversation at hand.

“Well,” Organa says with a smile, “Hopefully you won’t be too upset with me for bringing you further distractions from your thoughts.”  He offers Qui-Gon a folded slip of heavy, high-quality cardstock with gold-printed calligraphy along the outside.  It’s one of the very expensive, hand-crafted invitation cards for the coronation gala.

“I assure you, I have my own invitation,” Qui-Gon tells the Prince with a raised eyebrow.  Organa simply smiles at him and gestures with the card.  Qui-Gon takes it and unfolds it, finding a familiar scrawl across the inside.  Sighing, he scans Padawan Kenobi’s note and resigns himself to meeting up another time.

_‘Council summons, must go.  Not avoiding you!  If I don’t make it back to the gala before it ends, comm me. - K’_  And then, a little further down the page: _‘Kintan Strider to B4. Get out of that if you can!’_

Qui-Gon can’t help the smile on his face, or the soft sigh that escapes him as he tucks the card into the folds of his tunics.

“Padawan Kenobi was very insistent that I deliver his message to you,” Organa says, watching Qui-Gon closely, “with profuse apologies that he could not meet you in person.”  The Prince lifts one dark eyebrow at him, too polite to ask outright about the situation.

“I’m beginning to think the Force itself is conspiring against us,” Qui-Gon answers the unspoken question.  “I’ve known Padawan Kenobi by reputation since he was twelve, and we’ve worked in complementary roles numerous times in the past years, but somehow we have never actually met face to face.  Our interaction is always via comm, or through intermediaries such as yourself.  It’s become something of a joke between us, the fact that we always seem to miss each other.”

“How… mysterious,” Organa manages, perplexed.

Qui-Gon bows his head with a smile, touching his tunics and feeling the line of the card against his heart.  “The Force works in mysterious ways.  Perhaps there is a larger purpose at hand.  In any case, thank you for delivering his message.”

“It was my sincere pleasure, Master Jinn,” Prince Organa replies.  There’s a light of curiosity in his eyes, and perhaps a touch of mischief, but Qui-Gon is lost in thought again and doesn’t notice.


	2. The Seventh Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops, I wrote some more???

_The Seventh Time:_

The comm signal crackles and coalesces into a familiar voice. “-copy, Padawan Kenobi?”

“I copy, Master Jinn,” Obi-Wan replies tersely, twitching the yoke to let another spray of blaster fire slide past the nose of the yacht instead of splatting on his failing shields. “Is my Master with you?”

“Yes, she’s fine, just unconscious,” Master Jinn assures him. “I’m more worried about you.”

“If I take one more hit my shields are done for, but my hyperdrive is just fine,” Obi-Wan explains, and then has to stop talking to get out of the way of crossfire from two fighters trying to catch him between their sights.

“I’m calculating a jump to the nearest Republic system - Antioch,“ Jinn says. “I’ll send Kendrall to their medcenter as soon as we land. If you’re not docking that yacht on Antioch by the time she’s in the medcenter, I’m coming back here to track you down.”

“You know me too well, Master Jinn,” Obi-Wan grumps, but he can’t help the smile that curves over his face. “I’m calculating my jump to Antioch. Go; I’ll meet you there.”

“You’d better,” Jinn says with an audible grin, and then his transponder vanishes from Obi-Wan’s sensor board at the same time as his sense of his Master vanishes into the fading echo of a bond stretched across hyperspace. Obi-Wan dodges one more strafing turbolaser and then cycles up his own hyperdrive. The wash of blue-white stars overtakes the viewscreen, and he breathes a sigh of relief. The mission isn’t over yet, but his Master is safe with Master Jinn, and Obi-Wan has a chance to breathe before he tracks down whoever paid that bounty hunter to blast them out of orbit.

Maybe this time he’ll actually get to thank Master Jinn in person.


End file.
